Fortnite players have spotted a mysterious castle by gazing into the Rifts

Fortnite’s Rifts have been scattered around the map for a while now, but lately players have noticed something strange: If you look at one from the right angle, you can see what looks like a fantasy castle.

One of these Rifts can be found under Wailing Woods, in the underground bunker. If you walk around it and look in as the ‘shards’ line up correctly, you can almost make out what looks like a high fantasy castle, complete with pointed rooftops on towers that loom over parapets. The image isn’t in focus though, and it looks as though you’re viewing it through partially-frosted glass.

It may be an effect from the hue of the Rift itself, but the image seen through the Rift also looks as though it’s in an icy or snowy world – suggesting, perhaps, a holiday-themed winter map. Last year, Fortnite added a layer of snow to the world for the holiday event, and since then, things have only gotten progressively stranger. So one possible explanation is a more transformative winter event that we can glimpse at through the Rifts.

The phenomenon was spotted by some sharp-eyed redditors earlier today.

But the blurriness of the image seen through the Rifts leaves a lot of room open for interpretation. Fortnite YouTuber Postboxpat, for instance, isn’t convinced that the ‘parapets’ you can see in the Rift aren’t actually tall trees – possibly the top of the treeline on Haunted Hills, even.

Postboxpat goes into some detail on his theory in the video below. In short, he believes the Rift might be pointing to a specific location on the map – one where you can see the same silhouettes visible in the Rift.

Either way, we’re likely in for some more entertaining surprises as Fortnite players continue to investigate this phenomenon. Based on Epic’s love of hinting obliquely at things to come, I’d say either possibility – or something completely different – is equally likely. And even if players are on the right track, there are still bound to be surprises when it’s fully revealed.